In 1978, Billy began writing code for money for the first time. He’s used a half dozen languages on a dozen platforms. He has worked alone and on large teams. Although the technology never sits still, certain aspects of software development never seem to change: arbitrary deadlines, the balance of early delivery vs. hardening apps for long shelf life, the capriciousness of bugs, and the difficulty in helping management and users understand what we do. In this session, we’ll discuss the most important ways Billy has found to cope with the complex world of development, and perhaps help others avoid some of the mistakes he’s made over time. He will also keep time open at the end for you to pose your own challenges and get some ideas for meeting them.

You will learn:

• To separate the constantly changing technologies from the underlying constant realities of software development
• Absorb knowledge from some real-life incidents and case studies to help you avoid mistakes and be more successful
• Ask questions about your own challenges and get the perspective of someone with forty years of experience to draw on